Water cooler



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J. C. WICHMANN WATER COOLER Filed Jan. 28, 1932 Nov. 14, 1933.

Patented Nov. 14, 1933 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATER COOLER John Carl WichmanmB'everly THills, Calif.

Application January, 28

23 Claims;

My invention relates to? a water cooler of a receptacle which becomes filled with the water 7 from the bottle, and the water in such receptacle is cooled for drinking purposes.

In connection with sucha device I provide an absorbent medium on the outside of the water receptacle and maintain this moistened by a slight flow of water from the inside of the receptacle to the absorbent coveron the outside A cover or case surrounds the receptacle and extends from.

a feature of my invention is the construction of 1 a stand with an annular trough havin'gja" rim and a'supporting base inside ofthe trough, on which base is mounted the water receptacle. This water receptacle is open at the top and has a rubberpad or ring to support the inverted bottle of water. The receptacleis provided with'an absorbent cover which'maylextend slightly into the trough. The water is fedfrom' the inside of the receptacle through aglassisiphon' tube which passes through an opening in the receptacle from the inside to theoutside, which siphon tube is provided with a wick or other medium for allowing a flow of water by capillary attraction. This may be of a construction set forth irrmy patent application SerfNo. 571,8 97Qfiled- Oct. 29, 1931, for a Radium emanator and water filter.

The base is hollow and is vprovided'with an" through the cover 31 and through the lower porupstanding rim, on which rim is supported the container or case, there being-aseries of perforations through the rim connecting between the hollow base and the space between the caseor container and the receptacle. The -openingat the top ofthe case or container allows forQthe circulation of air, which circulation is devised preferably-by an electric'motor operating'a'fan connected toithe hollow base. -Anfoverflow is provided from the trough-to a waste "receptacle. My invention is illustrated in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which 1932. Serial No. 589,416

The figure is a vertical section showing my water cooler with the associated elements.

' In my constructio'n'I employ asupporting base 11 which is illustrated as'having a flat bottom.

12, acylindrical sidewall 13, a top supporting wall 14, anannuIar trough 15, a hollow rim 16, which rim has an annular groove 17. The'upper and inside edge of the rim' is provided with a series of perforations 18f This base has a strengthening bead19 on the outside and below this bead there arethe attachment 'means 20 for the legs 21 which support the hollow base above the floor. The base has the hollow chamber22.'.' a

The waterreceptacle 23 is' preferably cylin drical with a circular bottom and usually made of glass and is supported on the supporting base 14. It has acontracted neck 24 'atthe top in which is fittedarubber ring 25 and on this ring is supported the inverted bottle 26.' -A-'case or container-27 has a lower annular edge 28 which fitsin the annulargroove 17 on the rim of i the hollow base; The case has an inward curve 29 at the top and is provided with an annular opening 30. Thn's opening leaves an annular opening at the top of the receptacle; The outside of the receptacle is provided with an absorbent cover -31,the lower portion 32- of this "cover extending below the supporting base 14 into thdtrough 15'. A gla'ss'siphon tube 33 is stream a rubber or similar packing 34, which latter'is tightly wedged in an opening .35 in the-receptacle. This tube has an inner portion 36 and anouter portion 37. A wick 38 is packed in the tube and the inside end portion 39 -extends'below the tube to be always immersed in the water inside thereceptacle. The outerend 40 of the wick preferably extends below the outside end of 'theftube and is caught underneath the cover31 'of-the receptacle. The water 'is drawn from the receptacle by means of the faucet .41, which leads "from the receptacle tion of the case 27. In order to cause an air circulation I provide a fan or air blower 42 which may be of any suitable type. This shows a pipe 43 leading from the fan or blower to the hollow base 11 and anair connection 44. The fan or blower is driven by anelectric' motor 45, the

motor and fan being mounted on a bracket 46 secured to one of the legs' 21.

A'waste water pipe 47 extends upwardly through the hollow base andis connected tothe trough 15 some place above the bottom of the trough indicated at-48. It'has a'discharge end 49 which discharges into a waste water receptacle or container 50, this being suitably supported by the legs. Another waste water cup 51 receives the waste water from the faucet and carries this by means of a tube 52 to the waste water receptacle 50. In order to assure that the case or container 2'? will not be tapped out of position I provide a hold-down fastening designated 53 which employs a series of screws 54 extending through lugs 55 on the lower part of the case or container and threaded into lugs 56 on the strengthening bead 19.

As long as there is a supply of water in the water receptacle 23 the wick causes a transference of water to the absorbent cover 31 on the outside. When the receptacle is full this action may be started by a siphoning action. The tube 33 is fitted tightly by the packing in the opening in the receptacle; therefore, the water can only pass through the tube. The flow must be relatively slow on account of the tube being filled with thewick. It [is obvious that the air circulation caused by the pump maybe in either direction, that is, it may be a down fiow of air over the absorbent medium on the. outside of the water receptacle or it may be an up draft. I prefer to use an up draft as this blows the dampened, moistened air out of the opening 30 at the top, thereby giving a cooling action as well as as a humidifying' action to the room in which the cooler is installed. This is an important secondary characteristic in my invention especially in the summer time when the water coolers are more in demand than at other seasons of the year, as the device not only functions as a water cooler but also as a humidifier and cooler of the air of the room. q 7 While my [invention is principally designed as a water cooler in which an air circulation is forced over a moistsurface of the Water receptacle or container, it will be apparent that due to the evaporation of moisturefrom the forced current of air that my device will operate as a humidifier in a room in which the cooler is installed. Such humidifier, on evaporation of moisture, will function to lower the temperature ina'room. V

The siphon tube is made of sufficient diameter that when the wick has been passed therethrough to have suffioient capacity for flowing enough water to not'only moisten the absorbent; outside covering from the top but to allow some of this to drip into the annular trough 15. j The wick by its capillary action will start or develop the siphon flow and so long as the water level isabove the inlet .end of the siphon tube inside of the water receptacle the waterwill fiow outwardly by a siphoning action rather than by alcapillary action., However, when the water falls below the inner end of the siphon tube, water will still be conveyed to the absorbentv outside material by the capillary action of thewick.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit '1 or scope of the invention as defined by'the appended claims.

. I claim: I 1. A water cooler comprising, in combination, a stand, a water receptacle mountedthereon, an absorbent porous cover on the receptacle, means to moisten such cover .by water from the receptacle, a case mounted on the stand and spaced from the cover and receptacle, such space providing a passage for the circulation of air, and a fan or blower toforce air positively through said passage in a direction counter to the natural air circulation, the means to moisten the cover comprising a wick extending into the receptacle and through an opening in such receptacle to the cover.

' 2. A water cooler comprising, in combination, a stand, a water receptacle mounted thereon, a porous absorbent cover for the receptacle, said stand having a trough with the cover dipping into the trough, means to supply water to the trough, a case surrounding the receptacle and the cover forming an air passage, means forming an external connection between the passage and external air for air circulation, and a fan or blower connected to positively force air through said passage.

3. A water cooler comprising, in combination, a stand having an annular trough, a water receptacle mounted in the stand and having a porous absorbent cover extending into the trough, means to supply water to the receptacle, a case mounted on the stand surrounding and spacedfrom the receptacle and the cover, means to supply water from the receptacle to the trough, such space forming an air passage, and a fan or blower to positively force air through said passage;

4. A water cooler as claimed in claim 3, the means to supply the water to the trough comprising a connection from inside to outside of said receptacle, the outside connection being adapted to moisten said cover and the cover to drip water into the trough. r a

5. A water cooler comprising a stand having. an annular trough, a water receptacle mounted on the stand and having a porous absorbent Ill) cover dipping into the trough, a tube leading through the receptacle from inside to outside having a seal on the'outside of the tube, an absorb ent wick extending through the tube having one end for immersion in the water in the receptacle and the other end discharging at an upper portion of said cover, the surplus water being adaptedto drip into the trough, means to support a covering case on the stand, said case being spacedfrom the receptacle and cover forming an air passage,and an air pump to give a positive air circulation' through the passage between the case andthe receptacle. 1

6. A water cooler as claimed in claim 5, said base having a. hollow structure with perforations leadinginto the space between the case and the receptacle, the air circulating through said hollow base and through they perforations.

'l'. A water; cooler comprising a hollow base having an annular trough with an annularrim outside of same, therebeing a series of perforations through the rim, the base having a central supporting wall with a water receptacle mounted on. such wall, a porous absorbent cover on the receptacle, the rim of the base having a groove, a case having its lower edgemounted in said a groove, the case being spaced from the receptacle forming an air passage, and an air fan or blower connected to the hollow base and adapted to cause an air circulation through theperio rations and through said space. i

8. A water cooler as claimed in claim '7, atube extending through an opening in the receptacle from inside to outside and having a seal on the outside of the tube, a wick in the tube connecting from inside to the absorbent cover on the outside, I such cover being adapted to dip intothe trough. and an overflow for waste water from the trough. 9. In a method of cooling water in a receptacle, comprising maintaining a moist surface on the exterior of the receptacle by withdrawing water from the receptacle above the water level thereof by a siphoning action from inside to the outside of the receptacle, and creating a circulation of air over the moist exterior of the receptacle.

.10. In a method of cooling water and humidifying air, comprising moistening the exterior surface of a water receptacle by withdrawing" water from the inside of the receptacle to the outside by a siphoning action and creating a confined circulation of air upwardly over the moist exterior surface of the receptacle, thereby evaporating water from such moist surface, the evaporation of'the water cooling the water inthe receptacle, and the humidified air being lowered in temperature.

11. An apparatus for humidifying air, comprising a water receptacle having a porous covering on its exterior surface, a siphon for withdrawing water from the interior of the receptacle to the exterior and to moisten such material with the water on the exterior, means forming an air passage exterior to the receptacle, and means to force an air draft through such passage, thereby humidifying the air coming in contact with the moist covering on the receptacle.

12. In the method-of cooling water and humidifying air comprising moistening the exterior surface of a water receptacle by Withdrawing water from the inside of the receptacle to the outside by a combined siphoning and capillary action thereby moistening the, exterior surface of the receptacle, then evaporating water from the moist surface by blowing air upwardly over the outside in a counter direction to the natural flow of air becoming chilled by contact with the moist receptacle, the evaporationof the exterior moisture being operative to cool the water in the receptacle and the air blown over the exterior of the receptacle being humidified and lowered in temperature.

13. In the method of cooling water and humidifying air comprising moistening the exterior surface of a water receptacle by withdrawing water from the inside of the receptacle to the outside by capillary action, maintaining a body of water with an exposed surface below the outside of the receptacle, blowing air over such water surface and over the exposed exterior surface of the receptacle thereby cooling the air by the evaporation of water from the said water surface and cooling the water in the receptacle by the evaporation of the exterior water on the receptacle.

14. In the method of cooling water and humidifying air as claimed in claim 13, in addition maintaining the withdrawal of water from the receptacle by a siphoning action, the siphoning action operating at a high water level in the receptacle and the capillary action at a lower water level.

15. An apparatus for cooling water and humidifying air comprising a water receptacle having a porous covering on its exterior surface,'a capillary means for withdrawing water from the interior and flowing same on the exterior of the said receptacle, means to contain a body of water adjacent the base of the receptacle, means to force an air draft overthe surface of said body of water and over the exterior surface of the receptacle thereby humidifying and cooling the air and cooling the water in the receptacle.

16. An apparatus for cooling water and humidifying air as claimed in claim 15, the said body of water being in the form'of an annular trough, said trough being filled by drip from the exterior of the receptacle.

17. An apparatus for cooling water and humidifying air comprising a water receptacle having a porous cover on its exterior surface, a capillary means for withdrawing water from the interior to the exterior of said receptacle and moistening the exterior, means to confine a body of water at the base of the receptacle, and means to blow air upwardly from below the receptacle over the water so confined and over the moistened exterior of the receptacle.

18. An apparatus for cooling water and humidifying air as claimed in claim 17, the water confining means being in the form of an annular trough and the porous cover extending into said trough.

19. An apparatus for cooling water and hu-' midifying air as claimed in claim 17, the capillary means comprising a wick, said wick extending through a. siphon tube through the wall of the receptacle, said tube being adapted to siphon water when at a high level in the receptacle and the wick being adapted to convey water by capillary action when the water level is below that of a siphon tube.

20. An apparatus for cooling water and humidifying air comprising a water receptacle having a porous cover on its exterior surface, a water confining means at the base of the receptacle, means to moisten the porous cover and tosupply water to the'water confining means, and means to blow air upwardly over the surface of the water in the water confining means and over the porous cover of the receptacle.

21. An apparatus for cooling water and humidifying air comprising a water receptacle having a porous cover on its exterior surface, an annular'trough at the bottom of the receptacle, the porous cover extending into the trough, means to wet the cover, the surplus water descending into the trough, and means to blow air upwardly over the surface of the water in the trough and over the porous cover.

22. A water cooler comprising in combination 'a stand, a'water receptacle mounted thereon,

an absorbent porous cover 'on the receptacle, means to moisten such cover by water from the receptacle, a case mounted on the stand andspaced from the cover and receptacle, such space providing a passage for the circulation of air, and a fan or blower to force air positively through said passage in a direction counter to the natural air circulation, a tube extending from the interior to the exterior of the receptacle and sealed to prevent leakage outside of the tube and a wick extending through the tube, said wick being immersed in the water in the receptacle at one end and the opposite end being connected to the cover.

23. A water cooler comprising in combination a stand, a water receptacle mounted thereon, an absorbent porous cover on the receptacle, means to moisten such cover by water from the receptacle, a case mounted onthe stand and spaced from the cover and receptacle, such space providing a passage for the circulation of air, and a fan or blower to force air positively through said passage in a direction counter to the natural air circulation, the means to moisten the cover comprising a tube sealed in an opening in the receptacle and adapted to siphon vwater from the receptacle to the cover. 

